Date: Thu, 14 Dec 89 13:15:43 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Sherman <mss+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Is anyone familar with the book "Scheme and the Art of Programming" by
Springer & Friedman (MIT Press)? I'm looking for something for bright
high school students. (Please respond to me, I don't normally read this
newgroup, thanks.)
-Mark
I just skimmed it, looking over every page briefly, so take my comments with
that in mind.
I bought it because it has a nice section on continuations (which I felt I could
profit from to become more comfortable with them), and for reference purposes
because it does go into some pretty deep and interesting examples that show not
just Scheme, but various programming paradigms and how to use them (in a similar
manner to "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs"'s approach).
The latter is especially nice as Scheme, elegant as it is, is ultimately "just"
a vehicle by which to express algorithms and concepts, so some discussion of
what to "say" once you learn "speak" Scheme is important (as well as the
comments here and there as to why it might perhaps be easier to say them in
Scheme than in other languages).
The book seems to me to be very concise, complete, readable, and text-bookish
(in that I believe it has lots of exercises, almost like a math book) so I
should think it would suit your purposes well.
My *real* intent in replying to this message however was to change the subject
<grin>, as it reminded me about a book I'm curious about.
Specifically, has anyone looked at a copy of the (relatively) recent
"Introduction to Functional Programming" by Bird and Wadler of Oxford and
Glasgow Universities (Prentice Hall, March 1988)?